Hay bales are not an unusual site across Tasmania, but the number of pink and blue bales have grown in the past few years.

Produced by agricultural packaging supplier Tapex Agri, the pink and blue silage film and wraps serve two purposes: protecting the bale’s contents and fundraising.

Pink silage film raises money for the McGrath Foundation and blue for Australian Prostate Cancer Research.

Broadmarsh dairy farmers Ben and Natalie Geard made their support for breast cancer research very visible, with Mr Geard taking 90 pink bales to build a pink lady.

Mrs Geard, who fundraises for the Menzies Institute, said they wanted to raise awareness about secondary breast cancer and the pink lady was an easy way to get people talking.

“It was all Ben’s idea. He mapped it out on the kitchen table,” Mrs Geard said.

“[The pink lady is] a very recognisable symbol,” she said.

Hay bale pink lady.

Although the Geard’s pink lady could be seen from the road, she was better viewed from above and the couple organised a drone photographer to capture her before the bales were gone.

He recorded the family speaking about secondary breast cancer and how they put the pink lady together and produced a short video that Mrs Geard shared on Facebook.

“It got 62,000 views and people are still looking at it. We had people from Dubai, the UK and Ireland who commented and tagged others,” Mrs Geard said.

In the past year Tapex Agri has raised more than $35,000 for McGrath Foundation and almost $9000 for the prostate cancer research organisation, Tapex Agri spokeswoman Susan Taylor said.

“Rural men and women do not have access to health care and information that those in our towns and cities have. We wanted to help bring change to this and our coloured charity products are our way of supporting charities who support rural health,” Ms Taylor said.

“It’s been incredible to see contractors and farmers get behind the cause and help raise awareness ... and the coloured bales act as visual reminder as well as a conversation starter,” she said.